The Newcastle United forward was on target for Thomas Tuchel's men against Latvia
Anthony Gordon of England celebrates scoring his team's first goal against Latvia
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for England againsr Latvia
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Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon has been backed to hold off the challenge of Marcus Rashford to keep his place in the England side for next summer's World Cup.
The Magpies star opened the scoring for Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions in their 5-0 win over Latvia on Tuesday night, a result which confirms England's qualification for the 2026 World Cup with two matches remaining.
The competition for places in the side is heating up, with Rashford finding his form on loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, while Jack Grealish is impressing with Everton.
However, Gordon started both games for England during this international break, and pundit Micah Richards feels the United star has lifted his game even further this season.
He won the fans' vote for man of the match after his display in Riga last night, which also saw goals from Harry Kane (2) and Eberechi Eze in a comfortable win.
Gordon has recovered from that red card against Liverpool to score three Champions League goals already this season for Newcastle, and is looking to get his Premier League tally off the mark against Brighton on Saturday.
As far as England is concerned, he is the man in pole position for next summer, and Richards feels it's well deserved.
“I think Gordon," Richards told ITV when asked who had impressed against Latvia.
"That’s why I was talking about Marcus Rashford, because Rashford’s doing well at Barcelona, but Gordon has taken his game to the next level.
“He’s always been a confident boy. He’s always been able to go both ways. He’s played a little bit up front in that No 9 role.
“He’s definitely best out wide, but I think his final ball’s getting a lot better.
"Don’t forget, when he goes down that side, he’s coming on to his left foot, but some of the balls he put in tonight . . . they were a lot better than I’ve seen previously. So I think he did well.”